This one comes via Twitter from @Irffootball. It’s been more than three weeks since Wolfe came down with what’s still a pretty mysterious illness on the Broncos team bus Nov. 29, and he hasn’t been seen — at least by the media — since. He’s been back at the facility but hasn’t practiced, and it’s hard to say when he’ll be back out there on the field. The team signing defensive end Jeremy Mincey last week might have been a hint that it thinks Wolfe’s return isn’t exactly looming, but at the same time, it hasn’t placed him on injured reserve.

With 10 days to mull over their loss to San Diego, the Broncos seemed to move on after their mini-bye leading up to their trip to Houston. With Peyton Manning being recognized with a somewhat prestigious honor and no new injuries to worry about, the team shouldn’t have had too much to complain about, especially considering they face two losing teams to end the regular season.

Monday: The Broncos had what they called a “bonus” practice on Monday; usually, the team just has meetings, but with no Sunday game, it was able to get out there on the field. Peyton Manning, Wes Welker (concussion), Kayvon Webster (thumb) and Derek Wolfe (illness) sat out the practice.

Manning was also honored as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, an honor that was announced Sunday night. Sports Illustrated editor Chris Stone was on hand at Dove Valley to discuss the honor, and a dinner was held for Manning Monday night. Also, if you don’t take the time to read Lee Jenkins’ story about Manning, on the cover of this week’s issue, you’re bananas.

With the Broncos heading to Houston for Sunday’s game against the Texans, let’s take a look at the NFL’s best pass rushers of 2012, who are about to meet up after 2013 seasons that have held a whole lot less fanfare. (And no, I can’t promise that every future Stat of the Day post will be this detailed.)

A year ago, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Broncos linebacker Von Miller were wrapping up seasons in which they logged 20.5 and 18.5 sacks, respectively, each falling just short of Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5. (Oh, and Aldon Smith finished 2012 with 19.5 sacks, to boot.) It was the year of the 2011 draft class on defense, with the league’s three best players on three of its best teams, poised for big things in the year to come.

My first answer is Champ Bailey, unequivocally. He’s perhaps the best cornerback of his generation, and there’s really no replacement for Champ being Champ. Problem is, I’m not sure Champ can be Champ anymore. So yes, the Broncos missing him in is prime is the biggest loss, but them missing 35-year-old Champ might not be the most gaping hole.

So if we’re asking who they miss at his current level of play, I’m going to go with Vickerson. The Broncos’ run defense has fallen off, especially since Vickerson was shut down for the season, and he’s something of the veteran leader among the group.

Of course, that’s just my opinion, and really, having any one of those four guys back would be a big boost to this defense.

While at Florida, Mincey would sometimes join J. Dash in rapping, and the fruits of their labor can still be found on YouTube in the form of the “Mr. Mince Theme Song.” Oh, and it’s set to the tune of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Perfect for Christmas.

Hey everyone! Happy Wednesday morning. I’m going to be trying out something different on the blog this week and going forward. Instead of four questions of the day each week, I’m going to be alternating questions of the day with stats of the day, where I look at more advanced metrics and such and pick one to flesh out a little bit more. Let me know if you like it, hate it, or have any more ideas on stuff you’d like to see here. You’re always welcome to email me with feedback, too. Anyway, with no further ado, here’s the first Broncos stat of the day:

I thought I’d kick off this dealio by looking at the Broncos’ newest player, defensive lineman Jeremy Mincey, who signed yesterday after being cut by the Jaguars on Friday. Mincey’s had something of a down year this year (and last) after a strong 2011, but Pro Football Focus has highlighted one week in which he performed exceptionally well.

We’re going goofy on today’s question, which comes via @kevtuttle on Twitter. I’ve probably spent way too much time thinking about it today, too, so I’m not sure what that says about me as a serious journalist.

@JoanNiesen You've seen Peyton on SNL. Which other Bronco would be a funny host?

I know, he’s probably not the choice you’d have picked, but hear me out. Knighton would be a way different host than Peyton Manning. Where Manning’s humor is sort of self-reflective, sarcastic and awkward, Knighton’s would be downright goofy.

This question comes via Twitter from @davidpulsipher, and I actually got it before Sunday’s game against Washington. I’m certainly glad I saved it, because I’m much more confident in my answer now than I would have been on Saturday.

The long and short of it: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. After the way Von Miller played on Sunday, it’s easy to see what the Broncos were missing. Miller was understandably rusty in his first game back in Indianapolis, but against the Redskins, he was responsible for three quarterback hits, two quarterback hurries, four tackles and a sack. The domino effect that his presence has on the defense was seen clearly, and the defense hasn’t had a game that good all season.Read more…

Jared Allen celebrates in a game against Denver in 2011. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

This question comes via email from Chris Hatfield, and with the trade deadline looming on Tuesday, it’s a good one.

To start off, I’m going to cross two of these names off of the list: Adrian Peterson and Joe Thomas. Here’s why:

I don’t think the Vikings are trading Peterson. I also don’t think the amount of money he commands would make any sense for this pass-happy Broncos team. Peterson is signed through 2017, making $11.75 million in 2014; his contract escalates from there, all the way up to $15.75 million in 2017. Sure, any team would love to have Peterson, the best running back of his generation, but he comes at a price, and it’s not a price the Broncos would be willing to pay. Also, in case y’all haven’t noticed, Knowshon Moreno is doing a perfectly decent job in the role he’s been asked to play.

Saying that the Broncos defense started the season opener in a shaky fashion might be something of an understatement, but by the end of the first half, the team seemed to be coming into its own. In the days since the convincing 49-27 win, that defense has been the subject of more praise than it’s warranted in weeks, but no one is letting it get to his head just yet.

“I think we’ll just leave it to understate-overproduce, hopefully, and start our preparation,” coach John Fox said on Monday of his defense. Then, after being asked to assess the performance of safety Duke Ihenacho, Fox delivered something closer to criticism when many of the assembled writers expected praise. He’s not ready to make any sweeping congratulations, not after one game in which he witnessed plenty of mistakes.

Even with the defense doing enough to hold Baltimore to just 10 second-half points, it still allowed the Ravens 363 total yards, the seventh-most allowed by any defense this week. (Four teams have yet to play at the time I post this.) There are improvements to be made, and though the Broncos will be an offensive-minded team, plenty will ride on their shorthanded defense early this season.Read more…

The ribs from Simon Fletcher’s Whistle Blowers Grill. Yes, they appeared on the expense account. Terry Frei

My story on the two retired Broncos who rank 1-2 on the franchise’s career sacks list — Simon Fletcher and Karl Mecklenburg — is in the Sunday paper and online here.

Here’s extra material on and from Fletcher and Mecklenburg that didn’t make the story.

First up, Simon Fletcher:

— His Whistle Blowers Grill and BBQ opened in downtown Greeley last spring, and after a very brief period moved to the city’s South side. Its name is homage to football officials — yes, the men in striped shirts.

“I was looking for something sports related and every time I did an internet search, that would be from 150 to 2400 similar names across the country,” Fletcher said. “Whistle Blowers was the only one where I didn’t find a single match. I was probably a little frustrated after trying for hours and I was sitting there and I’m scrolling up and down on the computer and I keep seeing these referees off to the side. ‘Referees’? No. ‘Umpires’? No. I’d given up. I was talking to my friends, and all of a sudden I go ‘Whistle Blowers’ and everybody’s heads popped up. I went, ‘Hmmm, that could be interesting.’ So we searched the internet and we didn’t find anything, anybody’s toes we might be stepping on.”

He said his affection for Greeley dates back to his 1985 rookie training camp, when it was well-publicized that he was a single father with custody of his daughter. Read more…

I spoke with Broncos’ second-year defensive lineman Malik Jackson — who is threatening to claim more playing time this season — after practice Tuesday for a feature.

As we were finishing up, I asked him about playing at both Southern California and Tennessee as a collegian. Because of NCAA sanctions against USC, he was able to transfer and not have to sit out a season before becoming eligible at Tennessee.

Frankly, I asked it more out of curiosity than professional purpose, but his answer was interesting enough to pass along as a supplement to the story.

Sylvester Williams, the Broncos’ first round pick in this past April’s draft, took part in his first training camp practice Thursday night — a 90-minute walk-through at the Broncos’ Dove Valley complex.

Williams signed a four-year, $7.6 million contract earlier Thursday, a deal that includes $6.1 million guaranteed. It also became a remember-when moment in a long, winding journey to the NFL for Williams that included time on the assembly line at Modine Manufacturing building parts for truck radiators and walking on to the football team in junior college.

“Most of my family, they cried because it is a life-changing moment for us,’’ Williams said following the practice. “The biggest thing I can say is I’ve been given the money now I have to earn it … (I’m a) long way from the factory … When I signed the contract, I thought about the factory. When I was back at home I drove by the factory just to see where it all started.’’

Coming Sunday we’ll have a story on Broncos’ rookie defensive end Quanterus Smith.

And Smith was the Broncos’ fifth-round pick last weekend, a pass-rushing prospect from Western Kentucky who could not work out at the scouting combine or attend any of the postseason all-star games because of a knee injury he suffered late in the 2012 season.

At the time he tore his left ACL he had 12.5 sacks, with three of those sacks having come against Alabama. And the Crimson Tide surrendered at least three sacks to just one other opponent — Georgia — for the remainder of the season.

After all, the Crimson Tide’s offensive line included three players selected in last week’s NFL draft with two of the linemen — Chance Warmack and D.J. Fluker — having been selected among the top 11 picks. Again, three sacks, by one player, against Alabama was worth looking up. So, I did.

In football, particularly at the highest level, one action invariably affects another.

It’s no surprise that stopping the running game helps the pass rushers, but I’d never heard it explained until listening this week to Broncos veteran defensive tackle Justin Bannan following preparations for Sunday’s game at Baltimore (9-4).

“To me, stopping the run is supporting the defense in getting sacks,” said Bannan, a former Colorado standout.

“You’re not going to get sacks unless you’re able to stop the run right off the bat and put them in those third-and-long situations. That goes hand-in-hand.”

Broncos defensive end Robert Ayers (91) just about gets a block on a Chiefs field goal Sunday. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

KANSAS CITY — As the Broncos were walking up the tunnel that leads from the Arrowhead Stadium field where they had just won to the visiting locker room, head coach John Fox noticed that Robert Ayers was a few paces in front of him.

Fox yelled for Ayers’ attention, caught up to his defensive lineman and gave him a great big man hug with some encouraging and sympathic words.

Speaking to reporters Friday following practice, Broncos linebacker Von Miller said the Denver defense can still be effective in pressuring Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers on Sunday without injured defensive end Elvis Dumervil.

Dumervil sprained a shoulder last weekend during the second quarter of the Broncos’ win at Carolina. He practiced Friday on a limited basis and his availability for Sunday’s game is listed as questionable.

Mike Klis has been with The Denver Post since 1998, after working 13 years with the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Major League Baseball was Klis' initial passion. He started covering the Colorado Rockies after Coors Field was approved for construction in August 1990.

Nicki Jhabvala is the Sports Digital News Editor for The Denver Post. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor, and she was most recently the overnight home page editor at the New York Times. She has reported regularly on the Broncos since joining the staff.

A published author and award-winning journalist, Benjamin Hochman is a sports columnist for The Denver Post. He previously worked on the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, winners of two Pulitzer Prizes for their Hurricane Katrina coverage.